3.1 – Dalek Empire III – The Exterminators

2000 years on, the Daleks have been long forgotten. So when a garbled message warns of a Dalek invasion, people have become too fond of peace to take it seriously.

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Styre
on May 7, 2016 at 8:46 PM

DALEK EMPIRE III

CHAPTER ONE: THE EXTERMINATORS

I’ll be honest — right from the beginning, I think the setting of Dalek Empire III is more interesting than that of its predecessors. While writer-director Nicholas Briggs’ initial vision featured the Daleks as an omnipresent threat, here they are much more nebulous. Using the Daleks as a more indistinct threat allows them to act as more of a faceless threat from beyond the stars — and deleting them entirely from human memory, while implausible, gives them a unique feeling. We also get narrative links back to the first two series through opening monologue from Susan Mendes (Sarah Mowat) as well as scenes about Siy Tarkov’s (Steven Elder) return to “civilization” from Velyshaa. These scenes, mostly two-handed dialogue between Elder and William Gaunt’s brilliant Selestru, summarize events since the conclusion of Dalek War and, through Elder’s tortured performance, render Tarkov one of the play’s most sympathetic characters. Meanwhile, we’re also introduced to the Graxis Wardens, led by Commander Saxton (Ishia Bennison, in another fine performance) and joined by new recruit Kaymee Arnod (Laura Rees), who serve as wildlife rangers of a system-wide protectorate. It’s obvious, of course, that the Daleks are the unidentified threat on Graxis, but Briggs keeps the listener’s attention by limiting the perspective to that of the Wardens, thus enhancing the suspense. Oh, and David Tennant is in it, though his character barely appears in this first episode. “The Exterminators” is little more than an introductory segment, but with a massive cast and multiple settings, as well as five upcoming parts, a slow buildup is ideal. Oh, and as an aside — Briggs isn’t especially good at making up “sci-fi” names. “Bulis Mietok?” Really?